ONE Championship
KEY POINTS
- Demetrious Johnson prevails over Adriano Moraes at ONE Fight Night 10
- He also retains the ONE flyweight championship
- “Mighty Mouse” will be facing Kairat Akhmetov next
Demetrious Johnson completed a storybook full-circle moment in the main event of ONE Fight Night 10 on Friday, May 5 at the sold-out 1stBank Center in Denver, Colorado.
Fighting on American soil for the first time since 2018 and with his entire family and countrymen rallying behind him at cageside, the 36-year-old future Hall of Famer put an end to his grueling rivalry with Adriano Moraes with a mixed martial arts masterclass.
After two hard-fought battles in the past, Johnson emerged victorious in their third encounter to retain the ONE flyweight championship by way of clear-cut unanimous decision.
The rubber match started out with both men being cautious, respecting each other’s skill and experience.
But as the rounds wore on, Johnson began to find his rhythm, utilizing his lightning-fast footwork and striking to keep his Brazilian opponent on the back foot.
Moraes attempted to change the duel’s complexion, but Johnson was able to weather the storm and sustain the pressure.
Despite his best efforts, Moraes struggled to keep up with Johnson’s pace and precision.
As the match entered the championship rounds, it was clear that “Mighty Mouse” had the upper hand and eventually walked away with the victory.
By defeating Moraes, Johnson improved his professional record to 25-4-1. In the other corner, the Brazilian dropped to 20-5 and has lost two consecutive assignments.
In his post-fight interview, Johnson snuffed retirement talks a few weeks after hinting at calling it a career. This led to Kairat Akhmetov entering the Circle and issuing a challenge.
Earlier in the evening, Akhmetov claimed a dominant decision win in his rematch opposite Reece McLaren.
In the co-headliner, Rodtang Jitmuagnon of Thailand sent the sold-out crowd into a frenzy with a highlight-reel, one-strike knockout of Mexico’s Edgar Tabares to keep the ONE flyweight Muay Thai crown.
From the get-go, the Thai superstar’s offense proved to be a handful for Tabares as the Mexican warrior struggled to fend him off.
Rodtang continued his advances in the second round and caught Tabares with one clean elbow strike to end matters.
His efforts weren’t left unnoticed by Chatri Sityodtong–the chairman and CEO of ONE Championship–as the Thai-Japanese promoter rewarded him with a $100,000 performance bonus.
On the other hand, Mikey Musumeci of the United States successfully defended his ONE flyweight submission grappling belt by compelling Osamah Almarwai of Yemen to wave the white flag with 1:57 remaining in the 10-minute, single-round joust.
Musumeci took home a $50,000 bonus from Chatri as he delivered on his promise to win the bout by finish.
Meanwhile, Stamp Fairtex (10-2) of Thailand solidified her case to vie for the interim ONE women’s atomweight championship by vanquishing Alyse Anderson (6-3) of the United States with a lashing body kick to the solar plexus in the second round.
Apart from the pending world title shot, Stamp likewise received a $50,000 performance bonus.
Competing for the interim ONE welterweight title would be the next agenda for Sweden’s Zebaztian Kadestam (15-8) as he knocked out Croatian rising star Roberto Soldic (20-4) in the second round.
The Swede knockout artist also earned an additional paycheck of $50,000 from Chatri with his shocking demolition of a blue-chip prospect such as Soldic.
